Kiip's new mobile ad model seizes the 'moment'

Kiip has partnered with big brands to offer mobile gamers real-world rewards following an in-game achievement. The move takes advertising away from a "piece of the screen" mentality towards "value exchange", explains the system's 19-year old co-founder Brian Wong.

Instead of displaying ads that interrupt game-play, or annoying placements that end in accidental clicks, Kiip's system takes advantage of the natural pause in game-play experienced when a user attains a certain level or achievement. Kiip (pronounced keep) calls this pause the "achievement moment" and, as well as a convenient break in play it is also an emotional moment when a player is happy and proud and primed to be rewarded.

It's at this point in play, and emotional moment, that an advertiser's offer is displayed and easily redeemed by entering an email address to which a redemption code is later dispatched.

Rewards, which can take the form of coupons or samples, are offered based on a game's demographics. Players who don't want the reward can gift it. There are also reports of Facebook integration so players can announce their reward to their network of friends.

New forecasts from Juniper Research show revenues from mobile gaming exceeding $11 billion by 2015.

Tags: game development, in-game advertising, mobile advertising, mobile gaming, mobile marketing, social gaming